A Paper World for Paper People
by Artz-the-bookworm
Summary: No matter how hard Quentin tries to fit into the path of his future and Margo tries to flee the path that had been carved for her, I believe there's no one to blame other than human nature for this cruel, Paper World we are bound to live in.


I have come to the conclusion that we all live in an undeniable paper world, and there's absolutely no way to escape it. To recite John Green in Paper Towns:

"All those paper people, living in their paper houses, burning the future to stay warm. All the paper kids drinking beer some bum bought them at the paper convenience store. Everyone demented with the mania of owning things. All the things paper-thing and paper-frail. And All the people, too."

Except, Margo Roth Spiegelman's hatred for the suburbs of Orlando, Florida, doesn't end there. It's not just a paper girl living in a paper house located in a paper town. The world is made up of numerous if not uncountable paper towns, making it a paper world. No matter whether we're observe an American suburb populated by the upper-middle class, or a starving city in the Middle East reigned over by a horrible dictator; they're all paper. We are all paper people, and that's human nature. Running away from home only to live in a broken down subdivision, travel around the world, and get away from college, family, and suburban living, isn't running away from Paper Living.

You see, all the things that make us paper, are the also the qualities that makes us living things. As humans, we need food, in order to provide food, we need money, and in order to possess money, we are required to work. To go deeper, in order for edible food to exist, many have to work to provide it for others. It's an endless cycle, and like animals, humans strive to get the better part of the deal, the deal being life. So, by running away, Margo only chose a lower class paper route for this paper life. Human's predictable paper-ness is inevitable, but not completely.

You see, I believe that there's no way to physically dodge human nature. The same way I believe suicide these days is an emotional proof of Charles Darwin's Natural Selection theory. No matter what, humans are bound to need food, shelter, and emotional support. Some are smarter, faster, or simply more competitive.

My dear friend always said, "Humans only route for their own benefit during war." And I agreed, the difference being whether the person would prefer war to peaceful living. But her philosophy leads me to presuming humans only route for their own benefits during _life_, and that also includes putting those you love first (that also profits you in an emotional and mental approach).

Though I do affirm that there are ways of emotionally avoiding paper living.

One can completely give in to what the world accepts from them. Refusing to believe there's something deeper, only knowing what they've learned as kids. I would like to add here that I do not wish to offend anyone's religious beliefs, and that I'm fully aware of John Green's Christian statues. Though I do despise those who, like many of my friends/acquaintances, have had religious/political beliefs fed to them whilst growing up and refuse to ever re-think their beliefs. Those who deny thinking about the origin of existence, and deem it foul and un-godly. However, I don't give myself the right to hate them, because they are people. People who think about those perfect pair of shoes at the mall, the perfect college, the perfect husband, and the perfect kids, yet refuse to actually think about the values of these human privileges. To me, those are perfect paper people. Made for this sick and twisted paper-frail world.

Others, however, have the courage to think about it. Though that's also pointless because who the hell knows when or how we puny humans are ever going to get answers. But still, they refuse to give in to other's beliefs and decide for themselves.

Some might turn to God as an answer, and even though I personally think "God" is the shortcut to respond to human's unanswerable question, it's a pretty respective and popular path to take. Some might go apeshit crazy, run away, and live in a forest awaiting death. Some might commit suicide as way of demanding answers. Some might travel the world in search for a spiritual enlightening (To be honest, I think people tend to choose the lifestyle/ "spiritual enlightening" that appeals to them the most or makes the most logical sense to their mental state. Yet again, I **do not** wish to offend anyone). Some may go insane and well eventually detained by professionals at mental wards. Certain individuals may choose to live this paper life they were brought up to, yet look at objects and situations from a different perspective. Which in a way diverges the person from the majority of society, however, fails to divorce them from a semi typical paper viability. And so on, having different effects on different people.

I shouldn't consider any of these predispositions utterly irrelevant nor should I accredit them thoroughly equitable, and I don't. However, as I've stated before, I conceive it's human nature to justly or illicitly choose whatever one believes best and most beneficial. Personally, I belong to the last group I mentioned, basically because I believe escape and change is impossible. The only concept that makes sense to me is death, only because it's the vaguest thing humans have ever encountered. I look at it as a mystery and an end. Even if it's pitch-black dark-ness, it's an answer. The act of dying is withal paper to me. But death itself seems like the only thing left in this foreseeable world. To my dismay, I just realized that I intrinsically regard the world as black and white, which is unfortunately in contrary to everything I've ever believed in.

To get back to my point, I don't blame Margo's selfish elopement which led to dragging Quentin, Ben, Radar, and Lacey away from graduation into an extremely dangerous 74 miles per hour limit race to beat what seemed to be Margo's suicide deadline. Neither do I blame Q's infatuation with finding Margo, something that ended up turning him into a self-absorbed, Margo crazed loner. I don't blame Margo for not returning home with Q, and I don't blame Q for not accompanying Margo on her "epic" adventure. Though, what they both did was vain yet acceptable. They followed their original instinct and lead the paper lives they were constructed to conduct. Though, I disagree with Margo's specious hopefulness that led her to believe she could escape paper-ness by running away.

Then again, I'm just another insignificant 14-year-old girl with a billion questions and barely any answers. I'm not and never be in any position judge human life or determine its route.

**I'm sorry if I wasted anyone's time or offended anybody's very well respected beliefs. This is the first literary work of mine to get published online as I am most definitely not a writer at any costs. Therefore, **I apologize for any grammar/spelling/vocabulary mistakes I've made**. My best friend though, is an absolutely amazing writer/fanfiction writer and I hope to whatever there is to hope to that she doesn't find this or I'll never live it down. However, Ash if you end up reading this, DON'T YOU EVEN DARE! **

**Also, I'd like to thank my awesome friend, Jasmine, first for lending me her quote, and secondly for being so selfless and helping me through the hardest time in my life. Plus, thanks so much for reading buddy. Okay? okay.**

**I'm barely an artist and that's only because art is the mere expression of emotion through streaks of pen on paper so I have an excuse for shitty drawings.**

**If anyone actually read this, thank you for bearing with me, I'd really appreciate useful criticism or opinionated reviews... honestly? Cuss me out and tell me I suck I don't care as long as you've reviewed it.**

**~Artz**


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